East Hertfordshire residents could be paying thousands of pounds more in council tax than they need to, according to leading health charities.

A report from MoneySavingExpert.com earlier this year revealed that up to 100,000 people in the UK could be missing out on substantial council tax discounts or exemptions they may be owed on account of having a “severe mental impairment" (SMI).

Those diagnosed with an SMI — a broad group of conditions that permanently affect a person’s intelligence or social functioning, such as dementia, Parkinson's and severe learning difficulties — are disregarded for council tax purposes.

This means those who live alone are completely exempt, while two person households in which one is a sufferer are entitled to a 25 per cent discount.

However, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request has revealed that only 326 households in East Herts are currently claiming an SMI discount or exemption.

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This is despite the fact that there are over 1,600 dementia sufferers alone in East Herts, according to the Alzheimer’s Society.

Similarly, Parkinson’s UK estimates that one in 500 people over 20 in the UK are affected by the disease.

There are over 110,000 over-20s in East Hertfordshire, according to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics, meaning around 220 could be suffering from Parkinson’s.

However, not all Parkinson's sufferers are defined as having SMI, and only those that do are entitled to an exemption.

The FOI request also revealed that in the year 2016/17, East Herts District Council had to pay back a total of £32,311.58 to households with an SMI exemption.

However, the council stressed that this was not necessarily entirely down to people back-claiming for discounts they hadn’t realised they were entitled to, but rather accounted for all refunds issued to people with an SMI exemotion no matter the reason.

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The figures prompted calls from leading charities for the council to do more to make sure those that are entitled to help are made aware that the discount exists.

Sally Marlow, services manager for the Alzheimer’s Society in Hertfordshire, said: “From these figures, it would appear that families in East Herts with someone living with dementia are paying thousands of pounds in council tax that they might be exempt from.

“Many people with dementia and their families are already under devastating financial strain as a result of their condition, with some forced to spend hundreds of thousands to get the essential care they need from the broken social care system.

“Lack of awareness and information about council tax discounts, and other financial support out there, only makes the situation harder.

“It's crucial that discounts are clearly signposted, and simple to apply for, to make sure people get the support they are entitled to.”

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Hilda Hayo, CEO of Dementia UK, said that “many families living with dementia do not even realise they are entitled to a council tax discount”.

Meanwhile a spokeswoman for Rethink Mental Illness also reported that the charity regularly heard from people through their advice service who “simply didn’t know (the discount) existed”.

She continued: “It certainly looks like many people with severe mental illness could be missing out on their council tax exemption.

“This exemption can be a great support and more needs to be done to ensure people who are entitled to it are actually able to access it.”

When approached for comment, a spokeswoman for EHDC said: “The council provides details about the discounts and exemptions available on its website, as well as on annual bills and for all customers moving into the area on their first bill.”